grand canyon things to do USA
Grand Canyon · United States

Best Things to Do at the Grand Canyon

Sunrise over two-billion-year-old rock temples, below-the-rim ridge hikes, Mary Colter landmarks and helicopter flights.

Whether you want level paved boardwalk walks along the rim or an exhilarating hike below the cliff edge, the South Rim offers ten unforgettable experiences across its 55-kilometre scenic corridor.

  1. Watch sunrise or sunset from Mather Point & walk the Trail of Time to Yavapai Geology Museum. Stand on a twin-railed rock amphitheatre projecting into the chasm, then walk a flat 2.1-kilometre geological timeline path lined with real touchable two-billion-year-old canyon rocks.
  2. Hike 30 minutes below the rim on the South Kaibab Trail to Ooh Aah Point & Cedar Ridge. Follow an open ridgeline trail with 360-degree canyon views (and zero trees blocking the panorama!) down to a wide red-sandstone saddle.
  3. Explore historic Grand Canyon Village: 1905 El Tovar, Hopi House & Kolb Studio. Step inside architect Mary Colter's Hopi pueblo, Lookout Studio and Bright Angel Lodge (with its geological fireplace!).
  4. Hike through the rock tunnels of the Bright Angel Trail (and spot 1,000-year-old Pictographs!). Walk right from the Village through two hand-carved limestone tunnels and look up beneath the cliff overhang to see prehistoric Native American red-ochre rock paintings.
Open ridgeline trail of the South Kaibab Trail descending toward Ooh Aah Point and Cedar Ridge in the Grand Canyon
Because the South Kaibab Trail follows an exposed ridge rather than a side canyon, it offers unobstructed 360-degree views from the very first switchback.
  1. Ride the free Red Shuttle along Hermit Road to Mohave Point, Hopi Point & Hermits Rest. Hop on and off along 11 kilometres of car-free western rim overlooks looking straight down at the roaring Granite Rapids of the Colorado River.
  2. Drive 40 kilometres east along Desert View Drive to Grandview Point, Moran Point & the 1932 Watchtower. Climb inside Mary Colter's ancestral-Puebloan stone tower where the wide Little Colorado and Colorado rivers bend into view.
  3. Soar over the Dragon Corridor on a Tusayan Helicopter Flight or take a Smooth-Water Rafting Float. Experience the moment the canyon floor drops 1,500 metres away beneath your helicopter skids!
  4. Gaze at the Milky Way in an International Dark Sky Park. Step onto the rim after 21:00 PM to see 5,000+ stars and the galactic core over the silhouette of the canyon.
Sightseeing helicopter flying over the wide red-rock expanse of the Dragon Corridor at the Grand Canyon
Departing from Grand Canyon National Park Airport in Tusayan just 10 minutes south of the gate, 25-to-45-minute helicopter flights cross the deepest and widest section of the canyon.
  1. Ride the historic 1901 Grand Canyon Railway Train from Route 66 Williams. Travel to the South Rim in vintage dome cars with western musicians.
  2. Add a day trip to Page: Horseshoe Bend & Antelope Slot Canyon. Exit the East Gate and drive 2 hours north to the iconic 270-degree emerald bend of the Colorado River.
The 270-degree emerald curve of the Colorado River around red Navajo sandstone cliffs at Horseshoe Bend in Page, Arizona
Two hours north-east of the Grand Canyon's Desert View East Entrance in Page, Arizona lies Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon.

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